For a planning application in England, prepare the correct application form, ownership certificate and agricultural land declaration, a location plan, accurate drawings of the proposal, any conditional statements or reports, and the fee for the correct application category. Then check the determining council’s current validation checklist before submitting. A location plan is the minimum plan, but it is rarely the only drawing needed.
This guide covers England only. Planning procedures and fee figures should not be transferred to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland without checking the relevant national rules.
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What you need before you submit
A planning submission has two tests at the outset. First, you must choose the application route that matches the decision you want from the local planning authority. Second, you must provide the information that route and the authority’s validation requirements call for. Validation is an administrative check that the application is sufficiently complete to process; it is not a decision that the development is acceptable or will receive permission.
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- Identify the correct application type and the council that will determine it.
- Complete the application form and the ownership certificate and agricultural land declaration.
- Obtain a location plan and prepare the drawings needed to describe the existing site and proposed development.
- Check whether a Design and Access Statement, Fire Statement, environmental information or application-type-specific material applies.
- Compare every document, drawing title, revision and fee with the council’s current local validation checklist.
- Submit the complete package through the appropriate submission service and keep a copy of everything sent.
Missing information can prevent validation or delay the point at which the application can be processed. A complete package still has to be assessed on planning merits; completeness is not approval.
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Step 1: choose the right application route
The information needed depends on what you are asking the authority to decide. A full application normally seeks a decision on the detailed development shown in the submission. An outline application seeks agreement to the principle and, depending on what is reserved, leaves some details for later. Other routes have their own forms and evidence requirements.
Full applications
Use a full application when the authority is expected to assess the detailed design and layout now. Your drawings should therefore show the development clearly enough for officers, consultees and neighbours to understand its scale, siting, access and appearance.
Outline applications
Outline applications have specific national requirements and can reserve matters for later approval. Do not assume that an outline submission needs fewer documents in every case. The form, certificates, plans and any information required by the local checklist still apply, and the details you choose to submit can affect what must be shown.
Proposals requiring environmental or other specialist information
Applications subject to Environmental Impact Assessment have additional requirements. Fire Statements, Design and Access Statements and other reports are also conditional rather than universal. Confirm whether your proposal triggers one before you prepare the final package.
Check the determining authority
Use the local planning authority for the site, not the authority where you live or where your designer is based. Its validation checklist, local list and submission instructions control the detail of the package. National guidance sets a baseline, but councils can request additional information for particular proposal types or site constraints.
National documents to prepare
GOV.UK identifies the following national information requirements. They do not all apply to every application, so match each item to your route and proposal.
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| Application element | What it does | When to include it |
|---|---|---|
| Application form | Sets out the proposal, site, applicant details and the application route. | Every application, using the form for the relevant type. |
| Ownership Certificate | Declares the ownership status of the application site and supports the required notifications. | As required by the application form and route. |
| Agricultural Land Declaration | Records whether the site includes agricultural land for the purposes of the application. | Complete the declaration required by the form, including where the answer is that no agricultural land is involved. |
| Location plan | Shows the application site in relation to its surroundings. | Every application needs a location plan; the national guidance says a scale of 1:1,250 or 1:2,500 is typical. |
| Design and Access Statement | Explains the design approach and, where relevant, access considerations. | Only where the application type, development or national/local rules require one. |
| Fire Statement | Provides fire-safety information for developments to which the requirement applies. | Only for qualifying applications; check the current national and local requirements. |
| Environmental information | Supplies information required for development subject to Environmental Impact Assessment or another environmental regime. | When the proposal and screening or regulations require it. |
| Additional local-list documents | Addresses site-specific or proposal-specific matters identified by the authority. | Follow the current validation checklist for the determining council. |
Use the exact certificates and declarations generated for the chosen application type. Do not substitute a different certificate because the wording looks similar. If ownership is complicated, or the site has multiple owners or agricultural tenants, resolve the certificate position before submission rather than relying on an informal explanation after validation.
Location plans: the minimum plan
The location plan identifies the application site against its surroundings. It should let the authority and consultees find the site without relying on a separate verbal description. The national guidance gives 1:1,250 or 1:2,500 as typical scales. Your council may specify a preferred scale, paper size, map source, boundary treatment or other presentation detail.
Check the boundary and site context
Make sure the red-line application boundary encloses the land included in the proposal and that any other land in the applicant’s control is shown in the manner the authority requests. The plan should include enough surrounding roads, buildings or other features to establish the site’s position. A boundary that is too small, misplaced or inconsistent with the form can trigger a validation query.
Keep the plan consistent
The address, site area and boundary on the location plan must agree with the application form and the other drawings. If the scheme changes, issue a new revision and check that every reference to the site remains consistent. Do not silently replace a plan after submission; follow the authority’s procedure for amendments or corrected documents.
Drawings that describe the proposal
Most applications need more than the location plan. The exact set depends on the development and the local checklist, but the following are common drawing categories to check.
Existing and proposed block or site plans
These plans show the site in its immediate context, including buildings, boundaries, access, hardstanding, landscaping or other features relevant to the proposal. A council may ask for both existing and proposed versions so the change can be measured visually.
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Floor plans
Existing and proposed floor plans can show room arrangement, walls, openings and the relationship between the addition and the existing building. Label each plan clearly as existing or proposed and identify the floor level. Include dimensions or other details where the local checklist requires them.
Elevations
Elevations show how the development will look from each relevant direction. Identify materials, roof form, windows, doors, external finishes and changes to the existing building where these affect the assessment.
Sections and levels
Sections are useful where the relationship between the proposal, the existing building and neighbouring land cannot be understood from plans and elevations alone. Include finished floor levels, ridge or eaves information and ground levels when the authority’s checklist or the site’s topography makes them relevant.
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Scale, titles and revisions
Use accurate, readable drawings with a stated scale and paper size where required. Give every sheet a unique title and number, for example “Proposed ground-floor plan,” and add a revision identifier and date when you issue changes. A scale ruler can help someone check a printed drawing, but it does not establish site dimensions and cannot replace an accurate plan.
One local authority’s example checklist asks for existing and proposed block plans and floor plans at specified scales and with particular details. That illustrates local variation; it is not a universal national drawing list. Always use the checklist for the authority determining your application.
How to use the local validation checklist
Find the current checklist on the determining council’s planning website and select the version that matches both the application type and the proposal. A householder extension, a new dwelling, a change of use and a development in a constrained area can require different supporting information.
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Match the checklist line by line
Create a working schedule with one row for each requirement. Record the file name, drawing number, revision, date and any explanation for a conditional item. Compare the schedule with:
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- the application form and site address;
- the ownership certificate and agricultural land declaration;
- the location plan and red-line boundary;
- existing and proposed drawings;
- Design and Access, Fire, environmental or other specialist documents;
- the fee category and payment amount; and
- the file format, naming and upload rules in the submission service.
Deal with a disputed requirement
If you believe a requested document does not apply, do not simply omit it. Follow the authority’s stated process and provide a short explanation tied to the facts of the proposal. The council may confirm that the item is unnecessary, ask for clarification or maintain the requirement. Keep that correspondence with the application record.
Allow for local presentation rules
National guidance does not remove local requirements about drawing scales, plan orientation, photographs, file formats or report content. Local authority pages such as those published by Redbridge and Swale demonstrate how councils can add validation information. Treat those pages as examples of local practice and rely on the current checklist for your own authority.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Planning application fees
Fees are set by application category, not by a single universal rate. Confirm the category before paying, especially where the proposal combines works, includes more than one dwelling or involves a change of use.
| Example category | Fee and qualification |
|---|---|
| Enlargement, improvement or other alteration of an existing single dwellinghouse, excluding flats | £548 under the England fee schedule effective 1 April 2026; the figure is an indexed example for this category and date. |
The £548 figure does not apply automatically to a new dwelling, a flat, a commercial proposal, a change of use or another application type. Fees can be amended or indexed. Check the current official fee guidance or the submission service immediately before applying, and retain the payment confirmation.
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A practical submission workflow
- Define the proposal. Write a concise description that is consistent across the form, drawings and reports. Confirm whether the work is an alteration, extension, new building, change of use or another category.
- Confirm the route and authority. Select the correct form and obtain the current validation checklist for the site and application type.
- Gather site information. Confirm the postal address, site area, ownership position, agricultural land status and any constraints that affect required reports.
- Prepare the location plan. Use the required scale and show the site boundary and surrounding context clearly.
- Commission or draw the proposal plans. Prepare the existing and proposed block or site plans, floor plans, elevations, sections and levels that the checklist and the nature of the scheme call for.
- Add conditional documents. Decide whether a Design and Access Statement, Fire Statement, Environmental Impact Assessment material or another report is triggered. Obtain specialist input where the subject is outside your competence.
- Run a consistency check. Compare dimensions, labels, north points, site area, boundary, drawing revisions and the description of development across every file.
- Calculate and pay the fee. Use the current category and date, not a figure copied from an older project or a different application type.
- Upload and submit. Follow the authority or submission service’s file naming, format and size instructions. Save the submitted files, receipt and confirmation email.
- Monitor validation correspondence. Respond through the stated channel if the authority asks for a correction or additional item. Ask how to replace a file or amend the application rather than sending an untracked version.
Why an application is not validated
A validation problem usually means that a required part of the package is missing, inconsistent or supplied in the wrong form. Common causes include:
- choosing the wrong application type;
- omitting an ownership certificate or agricultural land declaration;
- submitting a location plan that does not identify the site or uses an inconsistent boundary;
- leaving out drawings needed to understand the proposal;
- overlooking a conditional or local-list report;
- using drawing titles, revisions or file formats that do not meet the checklist; or
- paying a fee for the wrong category or using an outdated amount.
How to correct the problem
- Read the validation notice and list each requested correction separately.
- Check the cited requirement against the current local checklist and the application form.
- Replace or add the specific document, keeping the revision history clear.
- Ask the authority how it wants corrected files, certificates or fees submitted.
- Confirm in writing that the corrected package has been received and ask whether any further item is outstanding.
Do not assume that sending a replacement drawing by email automatically updates the application. The authority’s instructions control the correction route. If you disagree with a requested item, explain why it does not apply and follow the council’s review or appeal process rather than leaving the application incomplete.
When to prepare drawings yourself and when to get help
Simple, well-defined work may be capable of being documented by an applicant who can produce accurate measured drawings and meet the council’s formatting requirements. The responsibility remains the same: the plans must describe the existing site and proposal reliably.
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- which drawings and surveys are included;
- whether the service covers the local checklist for the determining authority;
- how many revisions are included and what triggers an extra charge;
- the file formats and scales supplied; and
- who checks the final package against the application form and certificates.
An optional scale ruler can assist with checking a printed plan, but it is only a measuring aid. It is not a substitute for a measured survey, accurate dimensions or professional drawings where those are needed.
Final pre-submission checklist
- The application type matches the decision sought and the development described.
- The determining council’s current validation checklist has been used.
- The application form, address, site area and description agree with every drawing.
- The ownership certificate and agricultural land declaration are complete.
- The location plan uses the required scale and clearly identifies the site.
- Existing and proposed plans, elevations, sections, levels and site or block plans are included where required.
- Every drawing has a clear title, number, scale, date and revision.
- Any Design and Access Statement, Fire Statement, environmental information or other local-list document that applies is included.
- The fee has been checked against the current category and effective date.
- Files meet the authority’s upload and naming rules, and copies of the submission and payment receipt are saved.
Checking this package before submission is the most reliable way to avoid an avoidable validation delay. The council will still assess planning considerations separately after the application is valid.
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